Visit Anaheim Celebrates California’s Reopening with 55 Events Confirmed for the Second Half of 2021, Bringing Immediate Boost to Local Economy
Event, Meeting and Convention Center Business Projected to Drive $231 Million to Local Community & More than 95,000 Room Nights in the Next Six Months
ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 15, 2021) – Now that California has moved beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, Visit Anaheim, the official destination marketing organization for Anaheim, today announced it has 55 events confirmed for the remainder of 2021. In total, these 55 events represent more than $231 million in local economic impact and will generate an estimated $2.9 million in tourism occupancy tax (TOT) revenue for the city, positioning the local community and tourism industry for a strong rebound.
With California’s economy reopened and the resumption of conventions, tradeshows, meetings and events, Visit Anaheim is able to safely and responsibly welcome 187,000 attendees to the destination and generate more than 95,000 room nights. Impressively, these numbers are only expected to grow as Visit Anaheim continues to solidify additional business for 2021.
“The reopening of California has allowed our industry to take a giant step toward recovery,” said Jay Burress, president & CEO, Visit Anaheim. “After 15 months, events are once again occupying the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center and bringing in much-needed business to our hotels, restaurants and attractions.”
In the next six months, there are currently 19 events scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center, eight of which are considered ‘citywide size,’ which will draw more than 62,000 room nights and 105,000 attendees. Some of the events booked for this year include: VidCon, Specialty Advertising Association of California, Medical Design and Manufacturing Event, INFORMS, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, HMP, Evolution of Psychotherapy, and more.
Notably, interest in Anaheim and demand for the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast, remains strong for future years as well. From January to May 2021, Visit Anaheim has received a 133% increase in leads.
“Despite the pandemic, our destination has seen tremendous development in the last year including the opening of three new AAA Four Diamond hotels, the first outside of Disneyland Resort,” said Junior Tauvaa, chief sales officer, Visit Anaheim. “These luxury offerings expand Anaheim’s hotel portfolio and attract a new wave of clientele.”
In the first half of 2021, Visit Anaheim welcomed 33 events to the destination putting the organization on track to host at least 88 events in total this year. Significantly, 18 of these events were successfully rebooked by Visit Anaheim after previous cancellations in 2020 or early 2021. Combined, all 88 events will bring $248 million in economic impact, produce 116,000 room nights and generate an estimated $3.5 million in tourism occupancy tax (TOT) revenue for the city.
To learn more about Visit Anaheim’s efforts to ensure the city recovers quickly and is best positioned to restore hotel stays, meetings, and conventions in Anaheim go to https://www.visitanaheim.org/meetings/health-and-safety-measures/.
Visit Anaheim Contact:
Lindsay Swanson, Communications Director
lswanson@visitanaheim.org
(714) 765-2928
About Visit Anaheim: Founded in 1961, Visit Anaheim is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit destination marketing organization. Visit Anaheim’s mission is to develop, market, and sell Anaheim to benefit the economic vitality of its neighborhoods. To learn more about Visit Anaheim, visit: www.visitanaheim.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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